A gentle breeze blew through the main hall of the Xiao family, and suddenly a young man in a black robe with messy hair appeared next to Xiao Zhan's right hand, exuding a mysterious aura.
As for the three elders who had been sitting next to Xiao Zhan, they were already seated on the ground in the hall without anyone noticing when they had fallen.
In just a moment, the scene before them suddenly changed, and everyone looked horrified. Xiao Zhan, who was closest to the black-robed man, was so shocked that he stood up from his seat.
One of the Xiao family elders, who was used to living a comfortable life, instinctively became angry and asked: "Who are you? How did you..."
However, he was not foolish enough to become an elder of the Xiao family. He was cut off in the middle of his questioning as if someone had suddenly strangled his throat, unable to utter another word. At the same time, his expression froze, and cold sweat poured down his face like a waterfall.
In the blink of an eye, he had moved the three elders to the center of the hall without them noticing. If he had wanted to, he could have taken their lives before they even realized it. He was a terrifying powerhouse with unfathomable strength!
Although the words were left unsaid, they caught Li Xiu's attention. He waved his sleeve, and the three Xiao family elders were sent flying like withered leaves, vomiting blood as they crashed onto the ground outside the courtyard, unconscious.
Witnessing this scene, Xiao Zhan was filled with fear and awe as he bowed and asked: "May I ask who Your Excellency is, and why did you suddenly appear in the main hall of my Xiao family?"
Xiao Zhan's words were exceptionally cautious and respectful, fearing that he might offend the terrifying powerhouse who had suddenly appeared, and end up being dealt with in the same way as the three elders.
Li Xiu scanned the hall and paused briefly on Xiao Xun'er, who had stood up startled by his sudden appearance in the corner. He then finally landed his gaze on Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran, and casually said: "My surname is Li, and my given name is Xiu. I do have a matter to attend to here, but for now, I am more interested in these two."
Xiao Yan's face was filled with various emotions, including fear, surprise, and confusion, but in the end, a hint of joy overtook him. It seemed that the terrifying powerhouse who had suddenly appeared was going to show him favor.
Seeing Li Xiu pointing at them, Ge Ye hurriedly stepped forward and nervously shielded Nalan Yanran behind him, his expression tense.
Although he was here to accompany Nalan Yanran to dissolve the engagement with the Xiao family, he was just an ordinary servant of the Yunlan Sect. If anything went wrong with protecting the heir of the sect, even if he managed to survive, he would likely face a life-threatening situation.
"Please refrain from acting rashly, as the young lady behind me is not only the granddaughter of Imperial Marshal Nalan Jie, but also the designated next leader of the Yunlan Sect."
"If any harm comes to her, Your Excellency will have incurred the unresolvable enmity of both Marshal Nalan Jie and the Sect Leader! Please think carefully before you act!"
To the members of the Xiao family, it seemed that Li Xiu had only gestured with his finger and had not done anything else. They couldn't understand why Ge Ye was so nervous and lacked the composure of a powerful individual.
Little did they know that Ge Ye was feeling extremely bitter at this moment. He had worked hard to secure this excellent opportunity to improve his standing in the eyes of the future Sect Leader. He had thought that it would be enough to speak a few harsh words to deceive this stranger.
Unexpectedly, a terrifying powerhouse emerged in the small city of Wu Tan. In Ge Ye's opinion, based on the partial display of this person's strength, he was at least a Dou Wang powerhouse who excelled in body techniques and might even be a rare Dou Huang powerhouse within the Jia Ma Empire.
Ge Ye wasn't overreacting, but this person seemed to have some dislike for Nalan Yanran. He was afraid that if he didn't intimidate him now and make him hesitate to act, he wouldn't be able to stop him if he suddenly made a move.
Just when everyone in the hall thought that Li Xiu would show some hesitation, he glanced coldly and said in a sarcastic tone: "Are you trying to use the power of a mere Dou Zong to intimidate me?"
As soon as these words came out, the hall erupted in a commotion. Everyone was shocked and stunned by Li Xiu's astonishing words, but Xiao Xun'er in the corner of the hall became even more solemn.
If this person isn't just boasting, he must at least have the strength of a peak Dou Zun. Why would such a powerful person suddenly appear in the small Jia Ma Empire and seem to be heading straight for the Xiao family? Could it be that...
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency..."
Ge Ye was shaken by these words and couldn't say anything for a while. Even if it was just a lie, he didn't dare to question or expose it, afraid that he might anger this person.
On the other hand, Nalan Yanran, standing behind Ge Ye, suddenly had a flash of insight and turned to Xiao Yan.
"Very well, Xiao Yan. Since you have agreed to this agreement, I, Nalan Yanran, will be waiting for you on Yunlan Mountain. As for the matter of cancelling our engagement today, I won't bring it up again for the next three years."
"Until we meet again!"
After finishing her words, Nalan Yanran forced herself to remain calm and pulled at Ge Ye's sleeve, ready to turn around and leave.
As she successfully took a few steps forward, a hint of joy appeared on Nalan Yanran's face, but then she heard someone suddenly shout: "Wait a minute!"
Xiao Yan stepped forward and looked at the backs of the three people. His eyes flashed with a hint of smugness, and he let out a breath of anger.
Then, Nalan Yanran, who had her back turned to Xiao Yan, showed a few traces of heavy resentment on her face. Xiao Yan knew that the terrifying powerhouse who had suddenly appeared disliked her quite a bit, and the longer she stayed, the more dangerous it would be for her. However, he still wanted to call her back, showing his sinister intentions.
Li Xiu glanced down at Xiao Yan, who was standing below him, and suddenly felt that this kid was actually quite well-matched with Nalan Yanran, especially with that relentless style.
The young man who had come with Nalan Yanran whispered with a trembling voice to Ge Ye: "Let's not mind him, let's leave quickly."
Ge Ye also had the same idea. They valued their lives more than saving face for a moment.
But in the next moment, Li Xiu spoke calmly, directly stopping the three of them in their tracks, making it impossible for them to take another step.
"You want to show off and leave just like that? But someone has just come on stage. It wouldn't be good to leave now, would it?" Li Xiu said in a calm tone.
The three of them knew that they had no chance of forcibly escaping from such a terrifying powerhouse, so they stiffened and turned around with bitter faces.
As he observed their ugly expressions, Xiao Yan felt even more relieved, and sensed that even the resentment he had accumulated over the past three years, which had nothing to do with Nalan Yanran, had dissipated by more than half.
Xiao Yan straightened his expression and respectfully bowed to Li Xiu. Although Li Xiu nodded imperceptibly, it was not because of Xiao Yan's respectful attitude. Instead, he noticed the budding viciousness in Xiao Yan's heart. In fact, this person had always had a cruel temperament, and Li Xiu had just managed to trigger it.
Looking at Nalan Yanran's ugly and trembling face, Xiao Yan felt even more comfortable, and sneered mockingly: "You don't have to wait for three years, I'll settle the score with you right now!"